We actually looked at the data for those who have been site selected already, and the majority of the teachers that have been site selected are already teachers in our system. They're not new teachers. It was a very small percentage, maybe of 10 those site selected were new teachers, 11 but the majority were internal teachers 12 already. 13
Can I say 15 something? Because I know there was much to be made about the fact that we've had these job fairs, and I think they have been fantastic. We had fewer teachers retire this year also, much fewer, about 400 teachers so far. Usually we'd have 1,000 in the course of -- now, maybe the economic times and people aren't willing at this point to retire. But, again, looking at all the data, we had those two goals in mind. We wanted to be fair to 68 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 those teachers who have a right to work here and interview and to be fiscally responsible, on the other hand, while at the same time making sure we had enough teachers in our pool so that we could open school like we did last year with very few openings.
That needs to be commended and should not go unrecognized. Could we please have your professional speak about this new -- first of all, is this a new department, Institutional Advancement and Strategic Partnerships?
Yes, it is a new department. Actually, we've had it as an isolated department under Strategic Partnerships, but we wanted to bring all of our abilities to garner inside the District -- I mean, outside the District resources. So this is an opportunity for us to put all of our grant writing together. It's now all over the District 69 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 and there's no coherent strategy for how we go for or write grants. (Witness approached witness table.)
This is Lee Nunery, and I could have him tell you about his job.
It's been about five weeks, I guess, since I joined the District, so I've got a little bit more tenure than my other colleague, but it's been terrific to be with the District and to run this newly formed unit, Institutional Advancement and Strategic Partnerships. We're concentrating, as Dr. Ackerman said, on a number of different things, including how to gather resources efficiently, how to build our alliances and our relationships and maybe, more importantly, to create some 70 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 new programming that will attract new resources. To date, we have accomplished about $67 million in total funding against the $60 million goal.
Those are new dollars and/or repeats of grants that we compete for. And increasingly, as Mike Masch said yesterday, the world of grants is becoming competitive either from the federal government and/or from private sources. So we have to be much more organized and well-placed in terms of how we go after those sources. What is great about the folks that I've come to work with is that they already have a satisfaction rate of 85 percent from principals and from central office based on survey in terms of being good or excellent resources. Our hit rate is about 75 percent, so --
What kind of rate? 71 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120
Our hit rate, our success rate, is about 75 percent. So three-quarters of the time that we go after a grant, we are successful in obtaining those funds. But that means that there's a lot more that's expected in order to make sure that Phases One and Two of Imagine 2014 get accomplished, and we're well on our way.
The parent ombudsman initiative, how -- are those Title I dollars, or no?
So that suggests then that there is no end window in the continuation of that program?
Was that not a new initiative under your leadership, Dr. Ackerman? 72 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120
Well, the parent ombudsman position, because I really believe that parent involvement is to critical to sustain change in a school system, was -- what we found in our lowest performing schools, and we call them our empowerment schools, we found that those schools had very low parent involvement and the parents weren't engaged. We wanted the parents to be engaged, and we believe that having somebody on the staff of a school or in a regional office or even in my office -- I have a parent ombudsman in my office -- somebody who can reach out to those parents, visit them in their homes, take them to the place that they need to go to get glasses for their children, these -- the people who work in schools as parent ombudsmen are extraordinary people. Their jobs are hard. They don't work in 73 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 a traditional 8:30 to 3:00 job. They're in those homes in the evening, on the weekends. And I can't say enough about this program, but neither can the principals in schools. And, in fact, we see that some of our other schools are now hiring parent ombudsmen out of their funds, because they've made such a tremendous difference in engaging parents.
Well, I need to underscore that and report that I'm very much aware of that, having spoken with principals who have them in their school, and they -- you could easily equate them to social workers that become extended eyes and ears for the school in trying to wrap your arms around young people who are lacking some of those supports.
And the parents will share with the parent ombudsmen, who are often parents, things that they won't share with the staff, the principal and 74 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 the teachers because they're embarrassed or they don't want -- they don't want anybody to know their personal situations, but they will share it with the parent ombudsmen and they see that person as really somebody there for them.
So is Title I a stand-alone entity or will it also fall under your leadership?
The Title I, the compliance piece, will fall under -- the compliance piece, making sure that we are following the rules and regulations, will fall under --
Mr. Nunery. I thought you said Nutter. But the actual program piece is in another part of the organization. The ombudsmen actually fall under our Parent and Community Engagement.
Okay. Councilman Green, you raised 75 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 questions yesterday about the early childhood centers; is that not so? I don't want to repeat if you already covered that topic.
Are there plans to extend the offerings of the child care?
Well, there are two. The parent -- I mean, the child care centers, I believe there are five scheduled over the next five years. We've opened one last year -- or this year. We'll open another one this year. One every year we'll open. Those are our plans. They're regional early childhood centers. And then we'll have the Parent Resource Centers where parents can come in, get their children assessed 76 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 if they're immigrant children, families who don't speak English, and then the whole enrollment process will take place at the Parent Centers. Then we have Parent Resource Centers where parents can come in and pick up books and other materials to work with their children at home.
Well, to follow up on Councilwoman Sanchez's interest raised around the fact that the seams of her district are exploding, is one, when you look at strategically, in her Councilmanic District as well?
There will be one in that district. We are looking at where there are demographics that show that there is a growth of population or there is a high need.
Previous testimony, your young professional said that there are 176 schools of a total of what? The young lady that was there prior to Mr. Tomas. She said there were 77 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 176 schools. What are the total number of schools?
So in instances where you have extraordinary programs and that they're not systemwide, what are some of the factors that you consider that help those schools gain that opportunity, and what role do principals have in that process?
Successful as it relates to the additional programming.
I'm trying not to answer the question while I ask it. 78 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120
Is it fair to say that where you have exceedingly strong leadership in the school; i.e., principals, that you have less incidence of young people in the principal's office, you have stronger parent associations there? There are other indicators that might reflect that but for this strong principal, these things might not be happening.
Absolutely. I think that -- my third core belief is that victory is in the classroom, but it's facilitated by a strong principal. I really believe that. And I show you a good school, I'll show you not only good teachers, but I'll show you an extraordinary principal who knows how to work with those teachers and the school. So you're absolutely right. One of the things we've done is, in the School Performance Index, 79 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 we've not only identified our lowest performing schools, we've identified our highest performing schools. We call them vanguard schools, and we're using those schools as examples of what good schools look like. And they're not all the special admit schools, believe it or not. They're actually schools -- a lot of them are schools that look like the Renaissance schools, or they used to, and I think that's important. And when we took our parents on their bus trips in the District, we took them to some of those schools to say, These schools have the same student population as your school, but they're achieving at higher levels, what's going on in those schools. And we actually gave parents a little script to check to see what they saw. What did you see, was it strong in that school. So we gave them a cheat sheet so they would know what they were looking at. I think we have to continue to 80 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 do that to show schools and -- to show the parents what schools look like that are really high-achieving schools, what the principals are doing, what the teachers are doing, what the children are doing in those classrooms. And it was interesting, because parents have said to me that that was a fascinating process, to get a chance to go into a school that's really working, with young people who look like the young people in their child's school, but they saw a very different school. Even when they took the tours of the charter schools, I think they went to Aspira, they went to Mastery, they loved those tours, and I have found that they just don't know because they've not seen what great schools look like.
Well, I believe that covers all of my questions. Let me ask that you continue to keep Council informed about opportunities to be engaged and what's happening 81 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 throughout the District, and I personally commend you for the enormous mountain you have climbed with the 2014.
Thank you. You're very welcome. Councilman Jones.
Thank you. And you show great endurance. Two days of this is more than I think I could bear. A couple of quick questions. Last year we talked about joint developments, and in context it was about better planning between your organization, the City of Philadelphia and other organizations on how to develop capital buildings, infrastructure and put programs where people are. To that end, I wanted to find out -- you had mentioned in your 82 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 testimony that there would be a committee looking at that, and I do know that you're going into your capital formation planning phase. What I would love to look at is areas where we could get more out of capital investment, both in the City's point of view, whether it is a school that shares space with a college where adults are educated at in evening hours and young people are in the day, or a health center, recreation centers, and to kind of, in these tough economic times when the public is looking to us to be creative and be resourceful by way of spending their dollars, how that has progressed.
Well, I'm going to ask Tomas to talk about some of the City collaborations, but we are still very much supportive and want to be engaged in how to use joint uses of space. We have 43,000 extra seats. I think there are things that we could do without closing schools. There are 83 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 combined spaces that we can use for the City services. My thoughts are, as yours, if you have those services in the schools, then you have a captive audience, and we're serving the same clients. I also want to talk about the fact that we are working with PHA on the development of the recreational center, the Lucien Blackwell Recreational Center. The District is -- but it's come a long way. We now finally have -- we're moving forward, but it's a great project for what we can do if we work with other agencies. And that's not -- that's the first big project that we're getting off the ground with PHA, but we have -- the City Recreation will help us with it, but actually the building of it is going to be between the District and PHA. And that's not the -- that's the first, not the only project that we're going to undertake with PHA. They're actually going to help us with one of the -- with 84 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 University City as one of the models -- I mean, the partners in their turnaround. So it can happen. It is happening. I know we have some other things that we've done that Tomas will talk about, because we have been working with the City on some of these joint collaborative opportunities, these opportunities to collaborate together.
Before you start, this is in conjunction with my earlier question about the vo-tech schools and as we look at areas like Randolph Skill Center that has an aging infrastructure, outdated probably a bit, not as techie as it should be, as we design new vo-tech schools, that we can incorporate, inculcate these services in our design. So as you speak to these collaborations with the Health Department, rec centers and others, PHA, 85 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 we should keep in mind a couple of things. One, where populations are growing, where they are shrinking, and keep demand where it is growing and where it is shrinking in our planning phase.
One of the other things I wanted to say in relationship to our focus on CTE schools as we are -- for next year we have in our budget a new position and it's a Deputy's position, a Deputy Chief position that will look -- will be there specifically to guide us into the next decade in developing and modernizing and updating our career technical high schools. So that's a new position that's going to be in the District for next year.
Again, Tomas Hanna, Chief of Staff. Thank you for the question. There are a number of areas where we've been working with our partners with the City. I'll give you a couple of examples that were at a high level, sort of made 86 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 it to the middle part of the organization, and now we're sort of diving into schools. Recently, the District hosted with DHS a town hall meeting where we were able to bring our ten Regional Superintendents and their key staffs, their regional parent ombudsmen and other positions in their offices that support parents regarding human services and other types of supports. And we started a very good conversation around how stuff should work, right? What we learned shortly thereafter during a principal's roundtable with the Superintendent was that while that discussion was very rich and important, we need to figure out if we're figuring out how to get those folks to talk to principals and lead teachers and other folks in buildings to ensure that the connection happens. Because we know that change happens in schools. That's where the young people are. So we've, over the last three years, talked 87 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 at the Commissioner's level, at the Superintendant's level in terms of what needs to be happening around the Department of Human Services, what needs to be happening with the courts, working much more closely with Judge Dougherty in terms of attendance and truancy. But the bottom line is, how does change happen at the school level, and we need to have the conversation going north-south. We've gotten to a much better place with the data sharing and things of that nature, so we're very encouraged there, but, again, when we met with our principals and realized that some of the information wasn't filtering down, we realized that there was a step we're missing. We're working to correct that. Within the next few weeks, we're going to a sampling of our school principals and their key staff to come to the table and talk to the leaders of our City partners so that we have a sense of what needs to be happening. 88 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 Another area, the Superintendent mentioned Summer Learning and More, our expanded summer opportunities. We're working closely again with the City to align the work of the out-of-school-time work that's happened, so that the after-school opportunities being offered during the summer are aligned to what we're doing in the District, so that summer doesn't have to end at o'clock. Summer in fact could end at o'clock as we ensure that the specific sites, families are aware of everything that's available. So that's been strong in terms of collaboration. Yesterday, there was a discussion around the PSAs in the 24th and the 25th -- 24th and 26th District where in the East Region of the City, we've been partnering with the Police Department, we've been partnering with the probation officers, and we've been partnering with schools, so that a young person who may be on probation and is 89 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 truant is returned to his or her school, and we make use of the in-school suspension option to work with the young person to ensure that we're supporting them and meeting their needs, so that that collaboration is happening, and we're looking forward to expanding that as well. So we see a lot of work that, again, may not be newsworthy, but certainly we believe as we learn more about it is helping families and young people in our city.
I understand that line of thinking by way of programs and application of service. I'd like that to extend as well to physical planning. As we -- as I traveled in the district and we went through an exercise a couple years back about our libraries and our infrastructure there, and in that exercise, they talked about the proximity between a library and a rec center and a school, library, rec center and a school, 90 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 and that many of those constituents were the same, young people. And in our future design, not that we're going to get rid of libraries, but we could imagine a day with a library, which is a capital project, is connected to the new school, which is a capital project, which is connected to the recreation center, which is a capital project, and in so doing, design savings that could come from that. And as we start to think a little more collectively, maybe we can do that. And I think that as you start to plan your capital projects, let's see how creative we can be, because, again, a community college that is educating some of the at-risk young people that managed to find their way out of your system, find their way into their system in the same building. That could be a novel approach.
All right. 91 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 I think the City Planning Commission should also be in that group of thinkers to do that, and obviously we need to involve our District Councilpeople and maybe even one or two at-large. All right?
Thank you very much. You mention in-school suspension. How is that working out?
We have it now in 90 schools, I believe -- 54 schools, and the goal this next year is to expand that program.
Yes. It is working well. It got off to a slow start, but now they're up and running in the schools, and our goal is to expand it next year. 92 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120
Thank you, Madam Chair. I pretty much covered the field of my questions yesterday. There were several items that -- questions that you were going to answer and provide to the Chair. I'm not asking you to do that now, but I would just like to know how long you think it will take to put that information together. Is it realistic to expect it by the middle of next week, Wednesday or so?
We'll try to get everything in a week. Our goal is to try to get everything that you've asked for within a week from this hearing today. If we can't, we'll give you everything that we've done and give you a date certain for the remaining work. But the overwhelming majority of it we should be able to do. 93 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120
Thank you very much. Are there any further questions? (No response.)
Excuse me. Before you recess, I wanted to just make a comment.
Councilman Kenney is gone, but yesterday he brought up South Philly, and then last night -- a comment that I made about South Philly and the cameras, the fact that we spent almost a million dollars on cameras, I want to put that in context just for the record and not let the news media spin this story into something that it isn't. We did install 114 new cameras, 94 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 but there were only cameras at that school, South Philadelphia High School. And if you --
We installed 114 8 inside of the school. So now they have 9 137 new cameras. And yesterday this 10 issue of equity came up, so I want to 11 tell you that if you compare 23 cameras 12 that they had before we put in the new 13 cameras to the other schools, Lincoln 14 High School, which has the same -- about 15 approximately the same square footage, 16 had 160 cameras. Fels High School had 17 160, and Sayre High School, which has a 18 smaller square footage, 200,000, had 118 19 cameras. 20 So putting in 114 new cameras 21 shouldn't have outraged or made anybody 22 upset. We should be, to me, happy that 23 we are addressing this issue of equity for South Philly, which at that time certainly needed to have those cameras, 95 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 surveillance cameras, put in place. And the building is 54 years old. It's more than 300,000 square feet with five floors, and cameras was simply not 6 enough. 7 So I wanted to make sure that 8 that was addressed and it was on the 9 record, because I heard something was on 10 the news last night that we spent a 11 million dollars. We had already spent a 12 million dollars on at least three other 13 schools or more that were comparable 14 sizes. 15
Thank 20 you very much. 21 If there are no further 22 questions, then this hearing will be 23 recessed until 1:30. We still have two people we're trying to reach to see if we can't get the 5:30 group to come to 1:30. 96 5/11/10 - WHOLE - BILLS 100119 & 100120 The other handful are there. So if we can get in touch with them, that would be our last public testimony, and then the entire bill will be voted out when the other tax bills are, which is 5/13 at noon. So after the public hearing, we'll recess that until 5/13 at noon when all tax bills will be considered. So then we'll see folks at 1:30. We thank you all.
Thank you. (Luncheon recess.) * * * 97 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET (Second-shift stenographer Josephine Cardillo relieves first-shift stenographer Michele Murphy.)
Thank you. Good afternoon. The hearing will be reconvened, the hearing with regard to the School District budget concerning. Bill No.'s 100119 and 100120 dealing with the School District budget will be heard. This is our public hearing part of this issue, and we are happy and welcome everyone who is here to testify. The first person is Sheila Simmons, Education Director, Public Citizens for Children and Youth. We welcome you, please come forward. Thank you for being here. When you testify, please give your name for the record and begin your testimony. Again, thank you all for coming. (Witness comes forward.)
Thank you. Good 98 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET afternoon, Councilmembers and Chairwoman Blackwell.
My name is Sheila Simmons. I'm the Education Director for PCCY, Public Citizens for Children and Youth. I'd like to start by saying that there is much for the School District to celebrate among increased resources and systemic improvements, from smaller class sizes to more counselors and liaisons, to a new teacher-evaluation system, to expanded arts and music, to centers taking targeted approaches to early-childhood education, to immigrant students and English-language learners. Finally, a summer of enrichment at neighborhood schools in collaboration with the City hopefully awaits thousands of students this summer. 10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET support Bill No. 100120 authorizing real-estate taxes for School District purposes. However, in terms of budget items, we would like to bring your attention to a decrease of 27 positions in the area of climate and behavioral support. I am admittedly unsure of the reasoning behind this decrease, but I am sure that climate and behavioral support remains areas in which we, as a school system, have not turned a corner. In the month of March alone, the School Reform Commission voted on 37 expulsion recommendations; and even with these recommendations, PCCY continues to field weekly phone calls from parents whose children have been bullied and their cries for help ignored. 10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET should operate based on agreed-upon expectations and appropriate and graduated consequences for misbehavior. We agree that kids respond to modeling reinforcement and positive acknowledgment of good behavior. But how to implement such a framework remains an unmet challenge in most of our schools. I hope the District and the future directs more resources towards how to implement steps to achieve environments productive for learning and teaching. We are thankful that school officials are increasingly aware of the negative results of missed learning opportunities in the third grade, in the sixth grade, but we call on everyone to recognize that we have many 9th-, 10th-, 11th-, and 12th-graders for whom the system has already failed. They're approaching graduation while performing at a 3rd-grade reading level. 10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET in our older grades PCCY would like to call attention to the work of multiple pathways to graduation. This work, certainly helped along by a broad citywide collaborated termed "Project U-Turn," acknowledges that too many of our kids are overaged and under-credited for the classes they occupy, and it does provide them with the accelerating learning academies Multiple pathways to graduation and the District's alternative schools acknowledge that some students need smaller, more personalized environments but do not need to be completely removed from a familiar setting, and this worked resulted in the Oasis programs inside our neighborhood schools. This work acknowledges that juveniles returning from detention need an education but have a 70 to 90 percent chance of dropping out. 10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET hands-on, skill-based training programs run by personnel familiar with the challenges of these young people. And when young people who have dropped out, or who are on the verge of dropping out, don't know where to go, the Reengagement Center welcomes them with up-to-date academic records, counseling, literacy and numeracy assessments, and a school placement as closely tailored for their skill sets as much as possible. Among young people, the Reengagement Center is a hit; among other school districts across the country, it's a hit. We commend the District for expanding the Reengagement Center work to another satellite office, and we would love to hear the new center being promoted. In accelerated programs, nearly 97 percent of students have zero out-of- school suspensions and zero serious incidents.
10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET first place in which they have found someone who cares about them and who cares about whether they learn. I encourage you to visit these programs. Philadelphia shouldn't be the last ones to know when we have a good thing going. Thank you for your past support of our school children, and I hope that you'll continue to invest in them. Thank you.
Thank you, Miss Simmons. We note that Councilman Greenlee and Councilwoman Sanchez, Councilwoman Miller, Councilman Bill 18 Green is here and Councilman Rizzo is here. And they have been here for all of our hearings and we say thank you to them as well. Are there any questions for Miss Simmons? Councilwoman Sanchez.
Thank 104 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET you, Madam Chair. Thank you. I want to thank the whole team at PCCY. I wanted to ask you something that you mentioned here because I was recently approached, and I know since you do such great work in Harrisburg around bullying legislation; New Jersey has it, Oregon.
Have you done any work on that? Is there any appetite at the State for it?
We certainly advocate for a number of prevention programs, and so long as schools have a prevention program, we generally are supportive of that. There is the Olweus bullying prevention program that I know is in a number of our local schools.
It's called the 105 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET "Olweus." O-L-V-Y-U-S? I don't know.
And it is a nationally-recognized bullying-prevention program; research-proven, it has a lot of stats behind it. And we certainly have that in place in some Philadelphia schools, but we certainly need that program and other types of programs in our schools. We have not advocated for it at the State level. We have advocated for positive behavior support, which is also a national framework; it's in more than 10,000 schools nationwide. PCCY works with the School District to co-convene a PBS citywide leadership team, and we are working with a cohort of 90 schools on implementing that. But we support PBS, Olweus bullying prevention. There are other models: Responsive classrooms, restorative practices. Sometimes schools need to 106 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET choose which one is right for their school and their population. But there are certainly a number of them that have shown that research shows them to be effective.
Okay. Thank you. Thank you for all your work. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you too. Thank you very much. Great presentation. Any other questions? (No further questions.)
Next is Miss Cecilia Thompson, the Philadelphia Right to Education Local Task Force. (Witness comes forward.)
Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I didn't get a chance to make copies of my testimony, but I can leave this for individuals to view when I'm 107 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET finished. I'm sorry. I was coming from an IEP meeting for another family, so...
My name is Cecilia Thompson, and I'm the Chairperson of the Philadelphia Right to Education Local Task Force, a State-mandated organization which provides systemic advocacy for students with disabilities attending public and charter schools in Philadelphia. I am here today in support of those aspects of the budget which have promoted parent involvement, training, and extra resources, particularly those relating to special education. As of this year, the District has a dedicated special education liaison part-time and elementary schools at full-time and the high schools. These individuals are the point person in the schools regarding special education. They have also been made available 108 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET reading and math interventions. The staff in the Office of Specialized Instructional Services has been available promote trainings so parents are empowered at their IET meetings. Extended school year has been restructured, where reading and math are mandatory, and enrichment is included for our students. There have been more efforts to train staff to identify those students deemed as high-incident students, which are learning support, emotional support, speech, et cetera, for extended school year services. Additionally, at every school open for the summer, there will be one person trained in special-education instruction and State and federal law to ensure special-education students attending summer programs have the supports and services needed to be successful. I do need for you to be concerned about the potential school 109 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET closings based on the now 44,000 extra spaces. Last year, it was 33,000. How are these numbers derived, and who is leaving the District? While it is true students are attending charter schools, there are a number of children in your districts attending schools which are full to capacity. Also, the District still has annexes. I know of two schools -- Samuel Gompers and Thomas Morton -- who have annexes and have witnessed parents upset and children teased by other children because they are not in the "real" school. Before schools are closed, let's close these annexes, which are often smaller classrooms, than those in the schools. Lastly, there will be a need for self-contained classes for students with disability whose IEP dictates this need. We need to have enough schools to have room for these classes and all of the other wonderful classes for students 110 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET in the District. As to the families moving out the City, this does not pertain middle- and low-income families, which is the majority of the City. Most of us cannot afford to move, so we have to stay here to have our children educated. I would suggest either waiting the upcoming census report or a consultation -- or the District having a consultation with those members of City Council where the school is potentially being closed, to ensure children will not be placed in a overcrowded school, and there is a discussion about impact on the community. Again, thank you for the opportunity to speak and for your continued support of the School District budget.
Thank you. Thank you very much. Are there any questions for Miss Thompson? 111 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET (No questions or comments.)
Thank you again. Miss Jamira Burley, Chairwoman, Philadelphia Youth Commission. We welcome you and again offer our congratulations. (Witness comes forward.)
Feel free to identify yourself for the record and begin your testimony.
Good afternoon, members of City Council. My name is Jamira Burley, the Chairwoman of the Philadelphia Youth Commission. As I mentioned, I am the Chairwoman of the Philadelphia Youth Commission as well as a senior at Temple University. And for those who may not know, the Philadelphia Youth Commission was voted into the Home Rule Charter in 2007 by three-fourths of the voters in Philadelphia. 10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown, Public Citizens for Children and Youth, and a group of young people, who saw that there was a need in Philadelphia to have a voice in city government. The Youth Commission, which represents ages to 8 23, with 21 members, 17 whom are 9 appointed by City Council members and 4 10 appointed by the Mayor. 11 I would first like to thank you 12 for your continuous support on the 13 development of young people and allowing them to be at the table of discussion when decisions about their future are being made. "No Decision About Me Without Me" is the model that the Youth Commission continues to stand by. As I'm testifying before you today, it is evident that that model has been brought to full fruition. 10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET well the need for a quality education system to take place here, in Philadelphia. Being the first of one of 6 children to graduate high school and to 7 attend college, I have witnessed the 8 damaging effects when resources for 9 educational opportunities are not readily 10 available for Philadelphia youth. Where 11 positive options are scarce, many 12 Philadelphia natives are forced to look 13 for alternative ways to feed and 14 financially support their families. 15 The work of the current 16 superintendent, Dr. Arlene Ackerman, has shown me that there is hope for the betterment of our school system and the development of our young people. Dr. Ackerman is doing the job that few would volunteer for and that few would be successful at, which is to educate the very people who will one day fill the seats that I now see before me. 10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET brighter future. Dr. Ackerman, with the collaboration of Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Director of Office of College and Career Awareness, has worked to give our youth a voice in the decision process, which has taken place through the work of Citywide Student Government and their Attack Truancy Campaign, their census initiatives, and their many different initiatives that focus on youth problems. This leadership opportunity has allowed for students to be at the forefront of issues that affect them directly, issues such as violence in education. Over the past year, the implementation of the School District's Imagine 2014, a five-year plan, has taken hold of our district and has started to reshape the very idea of education in our city. 10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET generation I personally have a stake in this because I have five younger brothers and sisters who are either in elementary, middle, or high school, who, like many other Philadelphia students, they not only want an education but they deserve a better education. Why should the fundamentals of their young life hang in the balance of a price tag. The strides the School District has made over the last year is largely due to the amount of funding that they have received through federal stimulus, funds that are only good for a two-year time period dealing with the Fiscal Year 2009 to 2010 and Fiscal Year 2010 to 2011, funds that will need to be supplemented if the District continues to provide quality education to our youth. 10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET sometimes go unfulfilled.
And, lastly, think about the legacy of the City and where it will be in twenty years if we don't first educate our youth We respectfully request that you vote yes for Council Bill 100120, which authorizes the imposition of an annual tax for School District purposes on real estate within the City of Philadelphia and Council Bill 100119. We thank you for your continuous support of young people across the City of Philadelphia, and we thank you for your continuous support of the Philadelphia Youth Commission. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Congratulations again. Are there any questions? (No questions or comments.)
117 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET Miss Danita Bates. Is Judith Robinson here? Oh, I see you now, yes. (Witness comes forward.)
Please identify yourself for the record again and begin your testimony.
Yes. My name's Danita Bates, and I'm a parent and youth advocate and a community activist for the (indiscernible) Duckery and the surrounding schools in North Philadelphia. May I also give you copies of what I last gave at the SRC meeting?
Yes. We would be happy to receive it. Feel free to identify yourself for the record and begin your testimony.
Yes. Danita Bates. 118 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET I'm a parent and youth advocate for North Philadelphia youth and schools and a community activist. I just had a few issues. There are a lot of issues that's going on in our district. Mostly what I hear is that it's not enough funding or funds for our schools. Particularly, we're only funded by how many youth are in a school. We now don't have a librarian in our school, and there are librarians in many schools. So I'm really just asking for the resources to go back into our schools and into our communities for all schools. The resources, what I mean is music classes and math and reading and literacy, phonics especially so our youth can start learning again and reading at 3rd grade or 4th grade. Kids are starting to read in pre-K class, believe it or not, and now it's not happening because the resources are not there or they're not providing them with the 119 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET resources for our youth. Also for our special needs and special-education students, they don't have the resources that they need, so we need all of the monies to go back into the resources in our schools for our students and to our community. It's a lot of schools that are being sold for dollars and being torn down. At the end of the day, our community is not getting anything, the schools isn't getting anything, nor are the youth. So my basic complaint and my presence of being here is for our youth in our community.
Thank you very much. We appreciate all your work and your advocacy on the part of parents and children. Are there any questions? (No questions or comments.)
Thank you very much. 120 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET
My name is Judith Robinson, and I'm here today to hopefully find some money for the School Board; I know it's much needed. But before I get to that very important point, even with all of the money that has been spent so far, I'm really shocked to find out that after eight years of our governor, who I was always under the impression had an emphasis on early-childhood education, I just got a Governor's Report, where out of all the 52 counties in Pennsylvania, Fayette County and Philadelphia County are the worst as it relates to our childhood getting -- our children getting a good education, preschool education. 121 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET There are seven risk factors, they say, and Philadelphia has the highest, along with Fayette County. I just couldn't understand how we could compare to this small county as it relates to these risk factors, when we have a governor who was focusing on this early childhood. So I really think we need to focus, because if a child starts off negatively wrong, out of order, and are not learning by the time, you all keep saying, till they get to 4th grade, if they don't read by 4th grade, then they are not going to be able to -- they'll be eligible are for prisons. Well, it looks like we are creating this environment. You know, it's like we are allowing this to happen. According to documents and information in the Philadelphia newspaper, 60 percent of our youth are not reading on grade level. I want to put this in the record because this is a document that 122 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET our State Representative Jewell Williams came to our community with. He had it for two years. It's about the children at Duckery School. We came to a meeting, trying to find out about the land deal that we'll discuss a little later, and he brought this information to us, showing that school children at Duckrey School are not reading on a proficient level. And it's disgraceful, with all this money being spent, that we are not doing a job now. It's truly unfortunate. But so, I'm going to leave that there and let you all deal with that because I think you all really need to focus on why our children are suffering from these seven risk factors that make Philadelphia and Fayette County the highest in childhood negativity, let's call it, okay, where our children are not taking advantage of early-childhood education. As it relates to funding -- funding, funding, funding -- after the 123 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET stimulus dollars are not here, what are we to do? Well, I could tell you what we could do: We could stop selling land for one dollar, stop selling buildings for less than fair market value, because according to the documents, the resolution at the SRC that they passed back in October of 2009, when they sold, or were attempting to sell, land at Tanner Duckrey, behind Tanner Duckrey School, for New Courtland, they were trying to push that deal through. I'm glad it did not go through. But nevertheless, they were trying to push that deal through for $1. Here's an organization with over $110 million in assets, and the School District and the City Council Public Property and Public Works Committee were trying to move that deal to sell the land for $1. Sell it at fair market value, put that money into educating our children. 124 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET (Applause.)
There are a lot of deals going on as it relates to real-estate land and buildings. I think somebody needs to focus in on land and building sales to make sure that money is going back into the School Board budget. I love the way the resolution 10 was written for that. I would encourage you all to go get a copy of it, because every one -- every deal should be written like that, because the money would go back into the school system for our children. So I just want to make sure you all are focusing on that. No more dollar deals. Sell the land, sell the building, get the most you can. If you need help, I'll be glad to put my years of real estate experience 21 on the table to show you how to can get 22 the most you can. 23 Land and real estate in 24 Philadelphia is a value, even in the 25 poorest neighborhoods. Get the money, 125 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET give it to our children; and then with the money, teach our children. Thank you very much.
Is there anyone else to testify at this time? (No response.)
Seeing none, this committee will be recessed until 5:30. We have two people on the list who staff could not reach; therefore, we will have testimony again at 5:30 p.m. After that, again we will have hearings on the 13th, at noon, with regard to all budget bills. Thank you again. (Committee stands in recess.) (Proceedings resume at 5:40 p.m.)
Good 126 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET evening. This is Jannie Blackwell we're in Council chambers for any Councilpersons who are in the building. We are ready to begin our evening testimony on the School District budget. Thank you very much. Again, if you're interested, please report to the chambers. Thank you. Good evening. We will resume our school budget public testimony portion of our hearings. We will now invite Ms. Carol Heinsdorf. We welcome you and invite you to introduce yourself and begin your testimony. (Witness comes forward.)
Thank you very much. And because you don't see people in the chambers doesn't mean they're not in their offices. They're watching Channel 64.
Thank you, Councilwoman Blackwell. 127 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET
Yes. Councilmembers, I am Carol Heinsdorf, do President-Elect of the Association of Philadelphia School Librarians. of your handout states that strong library programs increase student test scores and academic achievement. Certified librarians teach critical thinking and research skills. They co-teach and with classroom teachers and manage the library. Strong school libraries require a full-time certified librarian, current and adequate resources, open hours, an inviting facility, and a budget adequate to purchase all of the above. Now, 76 percent -- out of Philadelphia public schools -- do not have a certified librarian, usually are in poor condition, have outdated resources, and may be closed and locked. On of the handout, there 128 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET are 70 Philadelphia public schools with librarians out of 284 schools; meaning there are 214 schools with anywhere from 94 to 118,000 students each year without a library or librarian. quotes Imagine 2014, which says, "District resources will be allocated equitably during the annual budget process." That did not happen for school libraries this year, and at least three high school librarians have been force-transferred for the upcoming school year of, which I am one. quotes research supporting the role of school libraries in student academic achievement, one study, having been completed by the Research Department of the District itself. You also have a booklet of supporting research, "School Libraries Work." lists the necessary components of a maximized school library 129 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET program required for the full benefit of student academic achievement. shows Roberto Clemente Middle School Library when it was fully funded: 23,000 items were used 78,000 times. continues with Clemente, where an annual investment of $10,000 resulted in $468,000 worth of use, an excellent return on the investment. suggests that when 110,000 students each year do not have access to a school library and do not borrow books, there have been 26,400,000 missed opportunities for books to be read in the 12 years. This is happening now, and we wonder why our graduates can't read. quotes Forbes Investment Magazine, which states: "Before parents accept the wisdom of a school board to cut school librarians, they should ask, Will my child graduate with a 21st- century résumé or a 19th century 130 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET transcript? When a search engine returns 105 million results, can the student find the that will set her paper apart? Why 5 does a school district want to abandon its certified librarians, its professional guides to the complex information landscape." indicates that Council President Verna's district has the least proportion of high school librarians of any district in the City -- one librarian, five high schools. indicates that Councilwoman Miller has the worst ratio of elementary school librarians: 1 librarian, 24 elementary schools. With research fully in support of increased academic achievement through maximized school library programs, how could you not want them for the school children of Philadelphia? To increase academic achievement, a certified librarian and adequate resources must be line items in every school's budget. 131 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET Thank you.
Thank you very much. Your testimony is so invaluable. And, obviously, we agree. What can we say. The Chair also recognizes Councilwoman Sanchez. We thank her for being present at each and every hearing, and we really thank you for your testimony. Any questions? Councilwoman Sanchez.
You're saying that the cuts -- you were at Roberto Clemente?
Okay. And then this was a recent decision that was made at Roberto Clemente?
The charts that 132 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET you have are from the last year that I had a library-supportive principal and a fully-funded library. So those figures are from that time.
Okay. Well, we'll verify that. That's very unfortunate. I remember when we were building that school, and some of the -- the new school. I'm a graduate of Roberto Clemente, so this is personal. We were building this school, and we had a whole discussion about the accessibility of the library to the public because we had a lot of dreams about using that library and making it 133 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET multi-functional, so I'm --
Well, Mrs. Mazzucca did have many events in that library, including a wedding, but it went from 8,000 old books, when I was there, to 23,000 with a copyright date of years. 9 And we had fabulous use. We 10 had open access and flexible scheduling, which meant that I was there. And I wasn't covering preps, which meant that any student that needed to do come in was able to come in on a hall pass; and also, the teachers could sign up. So my last year, I did 50 collaborations with teachers.
I have yet to go to a school recently where that's still the option. I remember, when I was in school, libraries being open for that exact reason, so the kids could just go.
And now, 134 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET you know, between using it for other types of classroom -- for other types of classes, the library's open time is more and more limited. So I'm sorry to hear that.
My son goes there, and there lies -- yes, I am very much aware of -- he stays there -- he's upstairs actually doing his homework. He usually stays after school, till 4:30, to do homework and provide tutoring support to his classmates. So it's very unfortunate. There was a robust discussion earlier, when Dr. Ackerman was here, and my Council colleague Curtis Jones, and we were talking about libraries. So I want to assure you that it was a topic of our discussion here earlier. And, you know, one of the innovative ideas was the need to ensure that as we're building new schools and 135 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET the importance of the libraries, and how do we co-share facilities better so that library time is available not only to the kids at the school but the whole community. Those of us who grew up visiting them understand them and appreciate them. I think in the last year, the City has come to understand how important libraries are to folks. We need to send the same message around the School District. And it's so tough 'cause, you know, we talk -- we also had a robust discussion about healthy eating, and you watch principals cut physical ed teachers or music teachers, and it's a very difficult situation.
But I want you to know that that was an issue that we brought up earlier.
The return on investment is excellent in your school 136 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET library when it is staffed appropriately and used appropriately.
We agree and we appreciate your testimony and definitely appreciate the information that you just shared with us.
Councilwoman Blackwell, may I please say thank you very much for meeting with us. It was in January or February, and we really appreciate the time that you gave us then.
Oh, thank you. Kind of you to say. Thank you very, very much. Thank you, Councilwoman Miller, for being here as well. Any other questions? (No further questions.)
Is 137 5.11.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - SCHOOL BUDGET Mr. Bennett here? (No response.)
That is Mr. Henry Bennett. Is there anyone else who would like to testify before this committee today? (No response.)
Seeing none, this committee will stand in recess until noon, on 5/13/10, 12 o'clock noon, when all tax bills will be considered. Thank you all for coming. Thank you to those who are visiting. And thank you, colleagues, thank you. (Proceedings end at 5:51 p.m.) * * * 138 C E R T I F I C A T E WE HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings of the City of Philadelphia Council Committee of the Whole are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by us on Tuesday, May 11, 2010, and that this is a true and correct statement of same. ___________________________________ MICHELE MURPHY Registered Professional Reporter ___________________________________ JOSEPHINE CARDILLO Registered Professional Reporter (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)